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BYU vs. Idaho: Mo Moments

For a game as one sided as the Brigham Young Cougars' 52-13 win over the Idaho Vandals was, it had a surprisingly high number of momentum swings, shifts, and boosts. Just as the Cougars came out the clear victors on the scoreboard, BYU was an overwhelming winner in mo moments.

Mo Moment 1
Idaho opened the game with a solid drive that ended in a missed field goal. Three plays later, the Vandal defense had BYU facing a fourth down. BYU made a small gamble going for it, rather than punting from its own 45-yard line. Needing one yard, Jamaal Williams got that and a lot more. He broke loose for 49-yards to the Idaho 6-yard line.

Momentum swing! Riley Nelson connected with Cody Hoffman on the very next play for a 6-yard touchdown to give BYU a 7-0 lead. After none of the first three plays netted more than four yards, the BYU offense was exploiting the Idaho defense. It wouldn't stop until the game was way out of reach.

Mo Moment 2
The Cougar defense forced a punt after the initial score. On the first play of the new drive, Nelson threw a bomb to Ross Apo. Apo made a nice adjustment to the ball and the play resulted in a 53-yard gain.

Momentum boost! BYU was back in business. This time Williams finished the drive on the next play with a 9-yard touchdown run. BYU was now up 14-0 with barely over three minutes time of possession.

Mo Moment 3
The Idaho offense was still sputtering and didn't manage to pick up a first down. The Idaho defense, however, seemed to figure out the BYU offense a little. BYU faced a 3rd and 14. Skyler Ridley made a tough catch for 17 yards to keep the drive alive.

Momentum boost! BYU might have a couple of plays that weren't as explosive as the first couple of series, but the Cougar offense demonstrated it was still far superior, and couldn't be forced off the field so easily. Two plays later, Williams scored his second touchdown.

Mo Moment 4
Idaho showed some resiliency. Despite trailing 21-0, the Idaho offense didn't fold. They gained 19 yards on first down, but quickly faced their nemesis--third down. Idaho had not converted a first down yet in the game. A 10-yard pass on 3rd and 5 ended that streak.

Momentum shift! That third down conversion was a break through for the Idaho offense. Two plays later they scored a touchdown to close the gap to 21-7. On the ensuing drive, the Idaho defense forced BYU to punt for the first time.

Mo Moment 5
As quickly as Idaho gained some momentum, it disappeared. The BYU punt went out of bounds at the 9-yard line. On the first play of Idaho's next drive, a bad shotgun snap sailed over the quarterback's head. Linebacker Spencer Hadley was blitzing off the right edge and was in perfect position to catch the ball off the bounce and waltz two yards into the end zone.

Momentum shift! It was BYU's first defensive touchdown of the year. With four seconds left in the first quarter, BYU had put up 28 points. The offense might not have answered the Idaho offense, but the defense did. Any thoughts that Idaho could make this a game were quickly put to rest.

Mo Moment 6
With BYU on pace for over 100 points in the game, Idaho started getting desperate. BYU forced Idaho into an obvious punting situation on 4th and 8 from its own 32-yard line. Idaho, however, thought it would be a good time to fake a punt. The Idaho punter ran for just one yard.

Momentum boost! Taking over possession just 33 yards away from the end zone, the BYU offense would not be denied. Seven plays later, the ball was in the end zone giving BYU a 35-7 lead.

Mo Moment 7
The BYU defense forced a three and out once again. On the first play of the Cougars drive, Nelson found Hoffman coming across the middle of the field on a shallow drag. Hoffman turned up field and turned the short pass into a 26-yard gain.

Momentum boost! BYU would grind of the final 33 yards on four straight run plays and a four-yard touchdown pass. With 6:59 to play in the second quarter, BYU had matched its 42-7 winning score from the year before. This game was, for all intents and purposes, over.

Mo Moment 8
To their credit, Idaho would not give up. The Idaho defense made a fourth down stop on the opening drive of the second half. On the first play after taking over possession, Idaho connected for a 33-yard pass play.

Momentum shift! Idaho turned that big play into some points by kicking a 39-yard field goal. Those were the only points scored in the third quarter by either team.

Mo Moment 9
As the third quarter was coming to a close, Idaho was called for a kick-catch interference penalty after a punt. That penalty gave BYU the ball at the Idaho 42-yard line.

Momentum shift! After not scoring for over a quarter and a half, BYU scored with 12:00 left in the fourth quarter, thanks to the short field from the penalty.

Mo Moment 10
With BYU leading 52-10, and less than 30 seconds to play, Idaho had a 4th and 6 from its own 29-yard line. The Vandals made a routine punt, but the back up BYU punt returner could make a routine catch. The ball was loose on the turf, and Idaho recovered.

Momentum shift! With just six seconds to play, Idaho was in field goal range. They made the 35-yard kick on the final play of the game to make the final score 52-13.

BYU missed several opportunities for more momentum. Of the five Idaho turnovers, BYU scored just 10 points.

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